Eminem had nearly died from an accidental overdose in 2007. The 8 Mile actor opened up about his history with addiction in an interview with Men’s Journalin 2015.

“In 2007, I overdosed on pills, and I went into the hospital,” he said. “I was close to 230 pounds. I’m not sure how I got so big, but I have ideas. The coating on the Vicodin and the Valium I’d been taking for years leaves a hole in your stomach, so to avoid a stomach ache, I was constantly eating — and eating badly.”

He said that he was able to stay clean by focusing on exercise. “When I got out of rehab, I needed to lose weight, but I also needed to figure out a way to function sober,” he shared. “Unless I was blitzed out of my mind, I had trouble sleeping. So I started running. It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect. It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise. One addiction for another, but one that’s good for them.”

The Revival rapper checked himself into rehab in 2008 and started the 12-step program. In 2009, after a five-year hiatus from his music career, he released the album Relapse.

In 2010, Eminem released his album Recovery, which featured the songs Won’t Back Down featuring Pink, Not Afraid and Love the Way You Lie featuring Rihanna.

The rapper explained to the New York Times what his album Recovery referred to in 2010.

“I used to get pills wherever I could. I was just taking anything that anybody was giving to me,” he said, also specifying that he previously was a regular user of Vicodin, Valium, Ambien and methadone.

He also told the publication that his weekly visits with a rehab counselor, as well as his children, helped contribute to keeping him sober.

Since his return with 2009’s Relapse and 2010’s Recovery, Eminem has avoided the spotlight for the most part. His latest album Revival was released in December 2017.